Gearing.



PATENTED JULY 7. 1908.

T. J- WINANS.

GEARING;

APPLIOATION rum) DEC. 20, 1907.

UNITE STATES rarnnr ora ion.

THOMAS J. 'INANS, OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK, ASSJGXOR TO THE 1900 WASHER COMPAX Y, OF lllNGHfilllON, NEW YORK.

GEARING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July '7, 1908.

Driginal application filed April 12, 1908, Serial No. 311,273. Divided and this application filed. December 20. 1907.

' Serial No. 407.339.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

shaft to .one or other of a pair of secondary shafts, one of which may be provided with su table connections to a washing machine and the other with connections to a wringcr,

so that either the washing machine or the wringer may be operated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a'gearing connection including a pair of Worm-wheels and a driven worm, the latter being mounted in. an eccentric sleeve which may bereadily turned for the purpose of intermeshing the worm with either of the Worm wheels, the construction being such that the shifting operation will be practically noiseless and which may be accomplished without danger of stripping or otherwise injuring the teeth.

A further and important object of the invention is to rovide a worm gearing including a Worm t at is movable into and out of mesh with the gear, in which provision is made for screwing the worm into engagement with the teeth of the gear, so that the intermeshing operation will be gradual and without jar or shock.

g A till further object of the invention is to provide a worm gearing in which the worm receives movement in the direction of its length, as it is moved into and out of mesh with the worm wheel.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a. worm gearing including a worm movable into and out of mesh with the worm provide a novel form of gear casing, made in two mating sections of such construction as to facilitate the assembling of the parts of Be it known that l, THOMAS J. Wrxsxs, a 1 the gearing. citizen of the United States, residing at Z Binghamton, 1n the county of Broomc and \Vith these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter a meal, the inven tion consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and Jarticularly pointed out in the appended chums, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

in the accompanying drawings: Figurc l is a sectional plan view of a worm gearing constructed and arranged in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the worm carrying sleeve detached. Fig. elevation of said sleeve.

Similar numerals of reference are eniploycd to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several -figures of the drawings. I

The gearing is mounted within a suitable casing that is formed of two mating sections 10 and 11, of such nature as to form housings for the several gears, and these are secured together by a pair of bolts 12 and 13, the latter bolt, 13, passing through vertical slots 14 that are formed in the members of the casing for the purpose of permitting vertical adjustment of the casing in order that the gearing carried thereby may be properly coupled to a wringcr or other machine to be operated. In the present instance the bolt is shown as extending through a )air of plates :1? which may be employed for t 1e purpose of supporting the wringer.

The upper portion of the casing forms a split bearing for a shaft 15 which isprovided at one end with a coupling 16 by which it may be connected to the wringer or other device to be driven. The two parts of the casing also form a bearing for the upper end of a vertical shaft 17 which, in ti e present instance, is designed to extend downward for connection to a washing machine or the like.

in order to hold the sections of the casing 4 is a rear" in permanentalinement, a lug 18; is introduced at the u'ppenend of t e bore in which shaft 17 1s mounted, and the lower portion of the casing is provided with a split collar .first firmly bolted to that is bo'redout for the reception of a- -tube 19, the tube forming. a housing for the shaft and serving-also as a partial supportis then bored for the s afts, so that after the parts are assembled and thebolts are tightened, it will be impossible for the sections of the casing to be clamped so firmly on the I bored out to receive a pair of hardened rings spring 35 shafts as to frictionally retard their movement.

The two shafts 15 and 17 are provided with worm wheels 21 and 22, respectively, and these are arranged to be engaged by a quick running worm 24 that is carried by a worm. shaft 25 mounted eccentrically in a carrying sleeve 26. The opposite. ends of the sleeve 26 are reduced to form journals that find bearings in openings formed in the members 10 and 11 of the casing.

In practice, the worm is made in the form of a sleeveor collar and the sleeve 26 is 27 between which are arranged anti-friction balls 28, and that end of the sleeve which is bored-to receive the shaft is, also, provided with an anti-friction thrust bearing 29. lace the.

After the shaft has. been slipped into through the sleeve, the rings 27, an worm, the latter. is firmly secured to. the shaft by a suitable pin or other connection;

The axis of the sleeve 26 is at the intersection of two planes passing centrally through the faces of the worm wheels '21 The axis 'of the worm shaft 25 is and 22. located at a distance from the axis of the sleeve '26 slightly greater than the depth of the worm tooth, so that very slight movement is necessary to engage anddisengage the worm and worm wheels. The intermediate portion of the sleeve is cut away, as

7 shown, in order that the worm may freely on age the worm wheels.

ecured to one end of the worm shaft 25 is a drivingvmember which, in the present instance, takes the form of a grooved belt wheel 30. That end of the sleeve opposite the belt wheel 30 projects beyond the outer face of the section 11 of the casing and is bifurcated ,to receive an adjusting lever 32, the outer end of which has a small handle This lever is pivoted on a pin 34, and the end portion of the lever is engaged by a that is seated in a recess formed inthe end of the sleeve. The lever is further provided with a small projection ,36

inner wall of one section of the-casing,

t am

that is arranged to enter one or other of a pair of locking recesses the sleeve, 'and the other in the vertical plane with such axis. i

In ap arat'us of this type, where a worm is move into and out of mesh with a worm wheel, it is found that where, the worm is. turning at highs'peed and there is a heavy load, them is considerable wear between the teeth of the worm-and wheel at thein stant of starting, the wear being much i 37 that are formed 1n the casing, one of these recesses being in the same horizontal plane with the aids of greater than that due to the constant turning of the same load.

In order to overcome the starting friction due to inertia, provision is made for movin the worm endwise during the operation 0 throwing it into and out of gear, and to screw the worm into the worm wheel, thus insurin full mesh of the teeth and preventing un ue strain and the im osition, of afull load until the teeth are in lll'engagement. To accomplish this, the rear face of the sleeve 26 is provided with one or more helically wound shown in Fig. 4, and this 'tooth is pitche at a greater angle than the teeth of the teeth, one tooth 40 being Worm, and runs partly around the back of thecylinder, its ends terminating at two shoulders 41"that areparallel with the axial the extent of endwise movement thus im-' arted is sufficient to bring the worm teeth 1nto gradual mesh with the teeth of the wheel, the worm teeth screwing gradually toward the full mesh position, and thus connecting the gearing without danger of shock or jar and without undue wear at any point,

while the frictional resistance due to inertia is raduallyovercome urrounding one end of the sleeve is a spring 44- that bears against an annular flange formed on the sleeve,

this spring being placed under compression during endwise movement of the worm carrying sleeve in one direction, and serving to assist in the return movement of the worm in the opppiite direction. I

en the parts are arranged as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, power is being transmitted from the worm to the worm wheel 22. To shift the worm into engagement with the worm wheel 21, it is merely necessary to slightly-pull the outer end of the lever'32 to and against the through an arc of 90.

..worm, and a helically movable disengage the projection 36 from the recess I worm, a helically n'iovable sleeve in which 37, and then turn the lever and the sleeve This will cause the tooth 40 of the sleeve to travel in the space between the two abutments 42, so that the worm carrying sleeve will be moved in the direction of its length while being turned, and the teeth of the worm will be gradually moved out of engagement with the teeth of the wheel 22, and will gradually screw into engagement with the teeth of the wheel 21, the operation being practically noiseless and accon'iplished without shock or jar. At the completion of the movement, one or other of the flanges or shoulders 41 will come into engagement with the abutments and form a sto 7 for limiting the turning movement of the sleeve.

The driving mechanism is found very simple and efiicient in practice, and may be readilv shifted by a woman or child without the slightest injury.

The present application is a division of Letters-Patent issued to me on January 15, 1907, under No. 841,606.

I claim 1. In a worm gearing, a worm wheel, a worm movable into and out of mesh with the wheel, and means inde endent of the teeth of the wheel for moving the worm in a helical path during its movement toward and from the worm wheel.

2. In worm gearing, a worm wheel, a worm movable into and out of mesh with the wheel, and means inde endent .of the teeth of the wheel for gradual y screwing the worm tooth into engagement with the wheel during the meshing operation.

3. In worm gearing, a worm wheel, a worm movable into and out of mesh with the wheel, and means for gradually screwing the worm into meshed position to thereby prevent the imposition of the load until the teeth are fully engaged.

4. In Worm gearing, a worm wheel, a worm movable into and out of mesh with the wheel, a sleeve in which the worm is eccentrically mounted, said sleeve being angularly adjustable to etfect the movement of the worm into and out of engagement with the wheel, and means for imparting endwise movement to said sleeve during the angular movement thereof.

5. In worm earing, a worm wheel, a worm, an angtilarly adjustable sleeve in which the worm is eccentric-ally mounted, said-sleeve being adjustable to move the worm into and out of mesh with the wheel, and means for imparting endwise movement to the sleeve during the angular movement thereof.

6. In worm gearing, a worm wheel, a sleeve in mounted.

which said worm is eccentrically wheel, a

7 In worm gearing, a worm the worm is eccentrically mounted, said sleeve having a helical rib or tooth projecting therefrom, and a pair of spaced stationar abutments between which said rib is engaged.

8. in, worm gearing, a pair of shafts disposed at an angle to each other, worm wheels carried by the shafts, a worm, and a helically movable bearing sleeve in which said worm is eccen'trically mounted, said sleeve being adjustable to move the worm gradually into or out of mesh. with either of said worm wheels.

9. In mechanism of the class described, a plurality of shafts disposed at an angle to each other, worm wheels carried by the shafts, a bearing sleeve having as its longitudinal axis the line formed by the intersecting median planes of the several worm wheels, and a worm eccentrically mounted in the sleeve, the sleeve being angularly adjustable to move the worm into mesh with the various wheels.

10. In mechanism of the class described, a pair of shafts disposed. at an angle to each other, worm wheels carried by the shafts, a bearing sleeve having as its longitudinal axis the line formed by the intersecting median planes of both worm wheels, and. a worm eccentrically mounted in the sleeve, the sleeve being angularly adjustable to move theworm into or out of mesh with either of such worm wheels 11. In apparatus of the class described, a casing, a pair of shafts mounted therein, worm wheels on said shafts, an adjustable bearing sleeve, the axis of which isat the line of intersection of the mid planes of the worm gears a worm cccentrially mounted in the sleeve, a sleeve shifting lever ivoted at one end to the sleeve, and means or looking said lever ineither of two positions with the worm in engagement with either of the worm wheels.

12. The combination with a two part casing arranged to form a split bearing, of a pair at shafts mounted in said bearing and having their axes approximately at a right angle to each other, worm wheels mounted on said shafts, a bearing sleeve having end journals mounted in the sections of the casing,'said sleeve being provided with a stop for--limit ing turning movement of the same, one end of the sleeve projecting beyond the outer wall of the casing and being bifurcated, a lever pi voted within the bifurcated portion of the sleeve, said lever having a projection carried thereby arranged to enter locking recesses formed in the casing, 'a spring tending to move said lever to locking position, and a worm mounted eccentrically in the sleeve and arranged to mesh with either of said worm wheels.

13. In combination, a two part casing, a pair of shafts mounted therein and having their axes approximately at a right angle to her, worm wheels on said shafts, a fig ged to engage with eachoit' said In Wheels, 2, worm shaft, a sleeve mountin th casing, and in which said .tet'teooentrieelly -1n0unted, bell thrnst hearings between one end of the worm and the sleeve, said sleeve having a stop for limiting turning movement thereof, and means for edsstingthe sleeve to move the Worm and into mesh with the otherot such Worm oomhmetron, e easing, e pair of otte mounted in the oesln and hevln exes et en engle to each other, worm fried by the shafts, a hearing sleeve meted in the .eesm end oro'vided wlth e seems out mesh with one of the worm Wheels helical rib or tooth, egiai'r of abutinentsoarrieclhy the casing an tion of said rib 01" tooth, a s ring surrounding a portion of thesleeve an tending to move the same in the direction of its length, and a Worm ecoentrically mounted in the sleeve spaced for the recep endmovable with the letter in a helical path- 

